“Alright, Wayne—bend forward and touch the floor like you’re checking your toenails,” Dale said from behind the camera. “Lean a little to your left… try to look natural.”
God, I love my job, he thought.
Wayne shifted his weight and folded down, glancing back as far as the position allowed. “Glad I showered this morning.”
Dale chuckled. “Never a bad idea.”
Wayne adjusted slightly, settling deeper into the bend, blood rushing to his head. “How’s this?… Am I ready for my close-up?” he joked in a slightly strained voice from being upside down.
Dale lifted the camera and looked through the lens. “Yes,” he said, "Ready as you'll ever be."
Image 1 - Wayne Gentry
The “bent over” pose—cousin to the classic “bulldog” position on hands and knees—shows up again and again in vintage physique photography, and I’ve always had a soft spot for it. On one level it’s incredibly simple: strong legs, solid glutes, the male body folded into a rounded 3-D form. From this angle, the body’s most sensitive pelvic regions come fully into view—one framed above between symmetrical rounded spheres, the others hanging below like the weighted clapper of a bell or the slow swing of a hypnotist's pocket watch. There’s something almost mesmerizing about it's strangely vulnerable, sublimely seductive, and undeniable lighthearted "cheekiness" (pun intended) of these photos.
Image 2 - Franco Abruzzi (showering in jock strap)
Image 3 - Unknown Model (on pink sheets and mattress)
Image 4 - Juan Cruz (gathering his clothes)
Image 5 - Jim Young aka Earl Dean (in yoga pose)
Image 6 - Cole Faulkner (in leather jacket)
Image 7 - Will Garret (pulling up his sock)
Image 8 - Gypsi Kitchen (with helmut, boots, and jack hammer)
Image 9 - Tex Wayne (in boots and big smile)
Image 10 - Chuck Weltch (the bull ball AMG legend)
Comments?
Please help ID image 3 and fill me in on any history on these models. I'm also open to ideas for future posts.
Reminds me of home
ReplyDeleteHahaha!! Que lindo!!
ReplyDelete